Port City Community Church

To create a contemporary-looking house of worship that could both withstand the harsh coastal conditions in Wilmington, N.C. and provide superior acoustic quality, the members of the Port City Community Church sought to convert an original load-bearing masonry design to Tilt-Up. The resulting structure, which incorporates three large assembly areas designed to hold up to 5,000 people, was built in a segmented-radius design that emanates from multiple 250-foot radius points.

Joists spanning up to 100 feet in length intersect the Tilt-Up walls at sharp angles for a dramatic effect. Because all of the walls were skewed and few of the joists were the same length, accuracy was of the utmost importance and was carefully checked by engineers and material providers. Textured white paint, an exterior steel tube trellis, and a green glass rotunda help to emphasize the modernity of the structure. The interior of the building features stained concrete floors and a $1.3 million state-of-the-art audiovisual system.

Not only did Tilt-Up help save nearly $700,000 off the project’s $14.2-million bottom line, but it helped the church achieve a unique, cutting-edge design that accurately reflects its progressive style of worship.